Singing a different tune
Johns Hopkins senior Mary Key loves music, and that's not surprising for someone with a famous lyricist in her family.
Not that she ever met him.
Key's great, great, great, great, great grandfather is Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words to the national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," when he spotted the flag on the morning after watching from a ship in the harbor as the British shelled Fort McHenry in 1814.
While Mary Key loves music, she admits that she didn't inherit the ability to create it -- the words or the music.
"People always rip on me," she said with a laugh, "but I played like three musical instruments and I was horrible. I could not read music. But I always wanted to be part of music and if I could, I would play instruments, write it, do it myself. I totally have respect for those people who do it and can do it well."
Key said she has a strong feeling whenever she hears "The Star-Spangled Banner" played before a game, just knowing that she is descended from the man who wrote such revered poetry.
However, she has made one little change in his lyrics for games at Homewood Field.
"At the end, I started saying, 'home of the Jays,'" said Key. "It's cool. It's our own unique thing that we've made for our team that I think will be carried on at least a few years while these girls are still here, because they all take it to heart. We try to be like, 'this is our home, this is our field,' and it's our own little rendition of it."
Off to a good start
Navy completed its transitional season from club team to full-fledged Division I program by finishing second in the national women's college club championships over the weekend in Denver.
The Midshipmen finished the season 18-5 with only two losses to teams that were not Division I varsity teams. They won one game over a Division I foe, Howard.
In continuing an excellent club history, Navy is one of two teams to compete in all seven US Lacrosse Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates championship tournaments.
In Saturday's title game, the Midshipmen fell to Cal-Poly, which won its seventh straight WDIA championship, 16-9. Cal-Poly is 25-0 in WDIA tournament competition.
The Midshipmen were within 11-7 with 11:22 left on Erin Rawlick's third goal of the game, but Cal-Poly answered with a three-goal run that all but sealed its victory.
Rawlick, a freshman from C. Milton Wright who had four goals and two assists in the title game, finished second among the Midshipmen in scoring with 91 goals and 36 assists, just one point behind Amanda Towey with 71 goals and 57 assists. Another freshman, Mary Ruttum, from St. Mary's, scored three goals in the final and finished with 66 goals and 31 assists.
Next season, the Midshipmen and coach Cindy Timchal, who moved over from Maryland last fall after leading the Terrapins to nine national championships, will dive into full Division I competition as they compete in the Patriot League.
Not that she ever met him.
Key's great, great, great, great, great grandfather is Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words to the national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," when he spotted the flag on the morning after watching from a ship in the harbor as the British shelled Fort McHenry in 1814.
While Mary Key loves music, she admits that she didn't inherit the ability to create it -- the words or the music.
"People always rip on me," she said with a laugh, "but I played like three musical instruments and I was horrible. I could not read music. But I always wanted to be part of music and if I could, I would play instruments, write it, do it myself. I totally have respect for those people who do it and can do it well."
Key said she has a strong feeling whenever she hears "The Star-Spangled Banner" played before a game, just knowing that she is descended from the man who wrote such revered poetry.
However, she has made one little change in his lyrics for games at Homewood Field.
"At the end, I started saying, 'home of the Jays,'" said Key. "It's cool. It's our own unique thing that we've made for our team that I think will be carried on at least a few years while these girls are still here, because they all take it to heart. We try to be like, 'this is our home, this is our field,' and it's our own little rendition of it."
Off to a good start
Navy completed its transitional season from club team to full-fledged Division I program by finishing second in the national women's college club championships over the weekend in Denver.
The Midshipmen finished the season 18-5 with only two losses to teams that were not Division I varsity teams. They won one game over a Division I foe, Howard.
In continuing an excellent club history, Navy is one of two teams to compete in all seven US Lacrosse Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates championship tournaments.
In Saturday's title game, the Midshipmen fell to Cal-Poly, which won its seventh straight WDIA championship, 16-9. Cal-Poly is 25-0 in WDIA tournament competition.
The Midshipmen were within 11-7 with 11:22 left on Erin Rawlick's third goal of the game, but Cal-Poly answered with a three-goal run that all but sealed its victory.
Rawlick, a freshman from C. Milton Wright who had four goals and two assists in the title game, finished second among the Midshipmen in scoring with 91 goals and 36 assists, just one point behind Amanda Towey with 71 goals and 57 assists. Another freshman, Mary Ruttum, from St. Mary's, scored three goals in the final and finished with 66 goals and 31 assists.
Next season, the Midshipmen and coach Cindy Timchal, who moved over from Maryland last fall after leading the Terrapins to nine national championships, will dive into full Division I competition as they compete in the Patriot League.
